Mineral Commodity Summaries 2011 - Environmental and Energy ...

74INDIUM(Data in metric tons unless otherwise noted)Domestic Production and Use: Indium was not recovered from ores in the United States in 2010. Two companies,one in New York and the other in Rhode Island, produced indium metal and indium products by upgrading lowergrade imported indium metal. High-purity indium shapes, alloys, and compounds were also produced from importedindium by several additional firms. Production of indium tin oxide (ITO) continued to be the leading end use of indiumand accounted for most global indium consumption. ITO thin-film coatings were primarily used for electricallyconductive purposes in a variety of flat-panel devices—most commonly liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Other end usesincluded solders and alloys, compounds, electrical components and semiconductors, and research. The estimatedvalue of primary indium metal consumed in 2010, based upon the annual average New York dealer price, was about$66 million.Salient Statistics—United States: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 eProduction, refinery — — — — —Imports for consumption 1 100 147 144 105 130Exports NA NA NA NA NAConsumption, estimated 125 125 130 110 120Price, average annual, dollars per kilogramU.S. producer 2 918 795 685 500 565New York dealer 3 815 637 519 382 55099.99% c.i.f. Japan 4 NA NA 479 348 560Stocks, producer, yearend NA NA NA NA NANet import reliance 5 as a percentage ofestimated consumption 100 100 100 100 100Recycling: Data on the quantity of secondary indium recovered from scrap were not available. Indium is mostcommonly recovered from ITO. Sputtering, the process in which ITO is deposited as a thin-film coating onto asubstrate, is highly inefficient; approximately 30% of an ITO target material is deposited onto the substrate. Theremaining 70% consists of the spent ITO target material, the grinding sludge, and the after-processing residue left onthe walls of the sputtering chamber. ITO recycling is concentrated in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea—thecountries where ITO production and sputtering take place.An LCD manufacturer has developed a process to reclaim indium directly from scrap LCD panels. Indium recoveryfrom tailings was thought to have been insignificant, as these wastes contain low amounts of the metal and can bedifficult to process. However, recent improvements to the process technology have made indium recovery fromtailings viable when the price of indium is high.Import Sources (2006–09): 1 China, 35%; Canada, 26%; Japan, 16%; Belgium, 8%; and other, 15%.Tariff: Item Number Normal Trade Relations12-31-10Unwrought indium, including powders 8112.92.3000 Free.Depletion Allowance: 14% (Domestic and foreign).Government Stockpile: None.Events, Trends, and Issues: The price of indium recovered in 2010 after declining sharply during 2009. The U.S.producer price for indium began the year at $500 per kilogram and increased to $570 per kilogram in late January; theprice remained at that level until mid-September. The New York dealer price range for indium began the year at $460to $500 per kilogram, and increased through the end of May, reaching a high of $580 to $640 per kilogram. The pricerange then decreased and leveled off at $525 to $565 during June and most of July, after which it modestly increasedto $550 to $575 per kilogram by mid-September.Indium consumption in Japan (the leading global consumer of indium) was expected to increase by 20% in 2010 fromthat of 2009. Additionally, Chinese indium consumption was expected to continue to increase significantly, rising by56% from that of 2009 to 75 tons owing to increased domestic demand for LCD-containing electronics. China plannedto increase its domestic manufacturing of high-end LCD electronics rather than sell the raw materials to Japan andbuy back the electronic products at high prices. As a result, the Chinese Government cut its second half 2010 indiumexport quotas by 30%.Prepared by Amy C. Tolcin [(703) 648-4940, atolcin@usgs.gov, fax: (703) 648-7757]